My parent experienced first-hand what it was like to be thrown out of a "ladies" toilet, it was on a cruise ship (she was nearly arrested as well). She experienced hatred from women and men, which went far beyond just words on a social media site. She contemplated suicide, she tried to be "cured".

Speaker after speaker last Saturday warned of an Islamist agenda of stealthy, creeping, subtle Sharification. This involves sustained attempts by Islamists to pressure public institutions, in the name of religious freedom and multiculturalism, to make special allowances for their reactionary sectarian clerical values.

It can feel ironic when someone embodies the thing they are trying to convince us doesn't exist. Like when people hurl sexist insults at those who fight sexism, or racist slurs at people speaking out about racism... Or Germaine Greer declaring to the world that transphobia doesn't exist.

"We must exterminate these people (homosexuals) root and branch... We can't permit such danger to the country; the homosexual must be entirely eliminated." With these chilling words, the head of the SS, Heinrich Himmler, set out the Nazi master plan for the sexual cleansing of the Aryan race. From 1933-1945, an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 men were arrested under paragraph 175 for the crime of homosexuality. Some were tried and sentenced in the courts; others were sent direct to concentration camps without any trial or formal sentence. The death rate of gay prisoners in the camps was over 50%, the highest among non-Jewish victims.

I'm a little angry and here's why: in 2014 and every year before that I have read story after story about young LGBT people taking their own lives, being locked up, turned out onto the streets and made homeless, fired from their jobs, being hospitalised, murdered.

London might be a shimmering black hole swallowing your money, but it's also one of the greatest cities in the world for performers and creative people right now. When we put out our call for performers we got old hands and fresh faces; bar boys, burlesque dancers, transsexual poets, DJs; a rich and vibrant cross-section of the LGBT+ scene who wanted to make their voice heard.

All those great gay heroes, yet what did their country really do for them? Those that opted to stand up to the justice system would be convicted. Despite being in the clutches of the first total war, the authorities still found time to prosecute at least 300 servicemen for being gay.

A research study being released by Out Now at the end of the month shows which are the best places, out of more than twenty countries tested, to be openly LGBT at work - and the USA doesn't make the Top 5... Deciding whether to come out at work is not usually easy - and where you live can make a big difference.

From my experience, many people who use this term have gay friends or even family members and are not in the least part homophobic. Why, then, do they continue to use the word gay in a negative context?

After changes to the law allowing same-sex marriage in England, Scotland and Wales, Northern Ireland is now the only place in the UK where gay couples are barred by law from getting wed... The latest court challenge may be the first in a series of cases necessary to ensure that gay people in every part of the UK have an equal right to marry the person they love.

Leelah's last Tumblr note, published automatically, hoped that one day transgender people would be treated differently to her... It became a shock after a few days to see our friend all over the internet for what had happened to her. Leelah Alcorn began to appear everywhere.

10 December marks a historic day for LGBT* people, when thousands of gay couples across the UK are able to convert their civil partnerships into marriage. But as we celebrate this milestone in our history, perhaps it is also about time we speak out about the other, often hidden, side of LGBT* marriages and relationships.

It is clear that Emily Brothers is not seeking to reap a dividend from her disclosure, by becoming a self-appointed spokesperson for the transgendered community; and, short of the entire trans community moving to Sutton and Cheam (and it is two places so we would fit comfortably) it is not likely to enhance her electoral chances. So, why do it?

Still missing is regular, usualised (to use Sue Sanders word) portrayals of LGBT pupils, parents and role models who are happy, successful and kind human beings- just going about their lives. Such portrayals send a vital life-changing message to the emergent young LGBT souls out there.

A large proportion of the homophobia that exists in society continues to stem from religious belief. Within this, the active condemnation of homosexuality is often justified as an expression of faith; a religious right where an individual is free to preach - what they perceive to be - the word of God.

It's vital that the electorate don't rule the Liberal Democrats out of the race. We still have a lot to offer, do your research, and read up on the party's success and future plans. The fight of our lives is on its way and the Lib Dems have a better chance than you think.

The pathetic statement from the Men's Rugby Team shows no engagement with the issues, apologising not for their misogyny and homophobia, but for the decision to publish it. The leaflet's authors not only excluded gay people from their society, but went further in employing homophobia as a promotional tool.

Before we finished our conversation, Joan took time to ask about my own background and insisted we meet after her Royal Albert Hall show. Most celebrities couldn't care less for who's talking to them, but Joan had an obvious sense of maternal empathy to her.

Players are lacing up their boots with rainbow-coloured laces as part of an anti-homophobia in football campaign. Will this end the homophobia that sports men and women face overnight? No, I doubt that. But is it an important symbol? Yes I think it is.

The notion of sexuality being linked in a negative way is notorious and omnipresent in our society. It's easy to hear someone say 'that's so gay' when in public, even for the most unequivocal things... Since when did being gay, lesbian or bisexual necessarily mean a bad thing anyway?